The
Socialist Party of Malaysia thanks the Democratic Socialist Persective, Socialist
Alliance and Resistance for inviting us to this valuable World at a Crossroads conference.

One of the most widely known truths today
is that capitalism is in deep crisis of its own making . The endless search for
greater and greater profits with complete disregard for people and the planet
has inevitably resulted in crises which capitalism itself cannot solve.

The clock cannot be turned back on
global warming, which has resulted in major changes to temperature and natural
phenomena, and which poses a serious threat to future life on Earth.

Capitalism has also created a crisis
of resources. The resources of the world are being exhausted and depleted by
unplanned production and wasteful exploitation. Peak oil production has been
reached and we face the prospect of a world that is short of energy resources.

Currently we are all in the midst of
a worldwide economic recession that is entirely created by the capitalist
system. Thanks to global capitalism no country in the world is spared. Workers
are losing jobs in millions; there is widespread homelessness and misery. The
recession has created and is going to create massive poverty. World poverty
figures are going to skyrocket.

Of course, the capitalist-run media
mourns not the huge suffering of the people but the bankruptcy of financial
institutions, the drop in the billions owned by the billionaires, and the
billions being pumped in by capitalist governments to save the capitalist system.

The constant warning is that this is
going to be the worst economic crisis in 80 years, and even worse than the depression
of the 1930s. For us socialists this means a long period of suffering and
deprivation for the people, brought about by the ruthless profits-first and
greed-driven system.

Hope

But this very bleak period also is a
period of great hope, having created the objective conditions necessary for
ending capitalism .Widespread unemployment and poverty also means widespread
disenchantment and anger. We have the opportunity to create awareness among
workers by exposing the capitalist system as a system that rides on the super-exploitation
and repression of workers. We have the opportunity now to create awareness
about the socialist system. We have the opportunity to empower workers. I think
we are all agreed that the objective conditions are ready for a change. But are
we ready to use this opportunity to fight for a socialist future?

I would like to propose some actions
we should take in order to be able to respond to the crisis of capitalism.

1. Sink our differences

One of the biggest obstacles in the way
to a concerted fight against capitalism is factionalism among the left. Many
groups seem to be more concerned about the correctness of their ideology and
position rather the onslaught of capitalism and how the left will need a joint
response to it. There is a need to unite on our similarities as socialists,
oppressed by an inhuman system in which the majority remains oppressed, and
commit ourselves to struggle for socialism with the working class. There is a
need for continuous dialogue over our differences as we work together. There is
an urgent need for us to think of the challenges and kind of socialism in the
21st century and how to arrive at it. And to realise that capitalism is still
strong and will come back after the recession only because the socialists
wasted their opportunity. Human history and the working class will never
forgive us if we continue divide ourselves!

2. Venezuela and Latin America

We need to look at Venezuela and Latin America. Non-socialists are
achieving what socialists have failed to achieve in decades. Socialism is being
introduced in ways never imagined before. What lessons can we learn from Latin America which we can apply in
the struggle in our own countries?

3. We have to work

We have to go the ground level and
agitate, as Che said. Engage with theworking class in struggle, empower them. Gain the democratic space to
enhance our struggles. We have to write pamphlets for workers to understand and
discuss – to create awareness and urge them into action. We have to harness the
anger and frustration of the workers and make people aware that humankind is
not doomed to suffer under the capitalism system forever. Socialism doesn't
drop from the sky!

As Rosa Luxemburg said, the choice
facing humankind is socialism or barbarism. There will be great anger and
dissatisfaction with the existing economic system. Our role is to turn this frustration
into a political struggle for a socialist society.